SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Sex writer Violet Blue has filed suit against porn performer Violet Blue for trademark infringement and dilution, as well as unfair business practices. The writer wants the porn star to stop using the name Violet Blue and to pay damages to the writer. The writer claims that the porn star took her name and her look –Bettie Page-like bangs. The writer has a column on SFGate.com, a blog on TinyNibbles.com, and since 1999, has written 15 different books about sex and sexuality.
The porn star, who has sported many different hair colors and styles in her career, won AVN’s Best New Starlet award in 2002 and has appeared in more than 200 adult productions. The porn star registered VioletBlue.org in 2001 and founded her corporation, Violet Blue, Inc. in 2005.
Blue, the writer, says the performer’s movies and her appearance at San Francisco’s Annual Exotic Erotic Ball under the name Violet Blue have damaged her reputation and caused journalists and others to confuse her for the porn actress. The writer also claims that the writer has asked the porn star to change her stage name — the writer’s legal name is Violet Blue — but that the porn star has never followed through on that.
The porn star told Wired.com, “I picked the name Violet because I liked it. I picked the last name Blue after my agent told me I needed a last name. That was in 2000. I googled Violet Blue to make sure no one was using it and the only thing that came up was websites about flowers. I didn’t know there was another person using the name Violet Blue til I was working for KSEX radio, well after I had established myself in the adult community, years after I won AVN’s Best New Starlet in 2002. I invited her via email to come on my show, but she never responded.”
How the writer — the author of The Ultimate Guide To Adult Video and editor of other books — is being financially damaged by being associated on occasion with another person in the adult field seems worthy of question.
